Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Two Hogs shooting for 1,000 Razorbacks report
FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks have 41 players who have scored 1,000 or more career points. They might have 43 after tonight’s game against Auburn.
Razorbacks senior guards Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford both are within striking range of hitting the 1,000-point mark tonight. Macon has 986 points and Barford has 983.
“If you ask those guys, I think they’re more interested in us winning,” University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Coach Mike Anderson said. “Coming out and playing good basketball.
“If the scoring takes place, to me that’s only a plus. That just tells you, I guess, maybe the consistency that they’ve had since they’ve been here.”
Macon and Barford, both juniorcollege transfers, are in their second seasons at Arkansas.
Macon is averaging 15.2 points in 65 games as a Razorback, including 17.3 this season. Barford is averaging 15.1 points the past two seasons, including a team-high 18.1 this season.
Macon has scored
20 or more points in 14 games this season with a career high of 33 against Tennessee. Barford has scored 20 or more points in 11 games this season with a career high of 28 against Tennessee and Florida.
The Razorbacks are 4619 since Macon and Barford joined the team.
“When you come to a place and you do it within two years, it means more when you win,” Anderson said of scoring 1,000 points. “But it just tells you about them being consistent.
“They came here as guys that could put the ball in the hole, and I think they’ve proven that. And we want them to continue to prove it.”
If Macon and Barford hit their scoring averages, they’ll break 1,000 points tonight in their final home game.
“It would be cool to get it on senior night,” Barford said. “I’m pretty sure the fans are looking forward to it. I know my teammates are looking forward to it.
“It will be my second time getting 1,000 points in two years. I did it in junior college, as well.”
Barford scored 1,393 points in two seasons at Motlow (Tenn.) State Community College, where he averaged 23.6 points in 59 games. Macon scored 1,168 points at Holmes (Miss.) Community College, where he averaged 23.4 points in 50 games.
Macon and Barford can become the sixth and seventh players to score 1,000 points for Arkansas in two seasons along with Martin Terry (1,368), Todd Day (1,109), Scotty Thurman (1,079), Dusty Hannahs (1,047) and Bobby Portis (1,047).
“If I get it, I get it,” Macon said. ‘If I don’t, I don’t. I just want to go out there and play my hardest for my last game in Bud Walton, and I want to come out with a win.”
Barford jokingly wondered how many points he would have scored if he had come to Arkansas as a freshman.
“I feel like if I was here four years,” he said, “I would have probably got at least 5,000 points.”
Day is Arkansas’ all-time leading scorer with 2,395 points in four seasons from 1989-1992.
Tossing money
Some Florida fans threw money at Auburn’s players after the Gators beat the Tigers on Saturday night in the O’Connell Center.
“It was real money,” Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl told reporters Monday. “I think there are $5 or $6 that is out there, and because you know we’re compliant, we have actually turned that money over to compliance. Really.
“Our people have the money. I don’t know what they’re going do with it. Probably give it to charity. But we have already selfreported it.”
The Florida fans who threw the money did so presumably because Auburn is among the teams that have been mentioned in an FBI investigation into bribery in college basketball.
Auburn junior guard Bryce Brown said he didn’t appreciate what the Florida fans did.
“I’ll remember that next time we play them,” Brown said. “I didn’t like that.”
Minus McLemore
Auburn is 1-1 since 6-7 forward Anfernee McLemore suffered a season-ending ankle injury at South Carolina on Feb. 17.
After losing to the Gamecocks 84-75, the Tigers beat Alabama 90-71 at home and lost 72-66 at Florida.
McLemore averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and an SECleading 2.7 blocked shots in 27 games this season. His injury reduced the Tigers to eight scholarship players, with Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley being suspended for the season.
“They’ve made the adjustment,” Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. “I think that’s a credit to them. They’ve rallied around each other.”
Auburn beat Alabama with seven scholarship players because guard Mustapha Heron missed that game with an illness.
Triple threats
Arkansas is the SEC’s most accurate three-point shooting team at 40.0 percent (232 of 580), but Auburn is averaging the most made three-pointers per game at 9.9 to the Razorbacks’ 8.0.
The Tigers have hit 286 of 760 three-pointers, including 11 of 20 when they beat the Razorbacks 88-77 at Auburn Arena earlier this season. Arkansas was 4 of 19 on three-pointers in the game.
Auburn has made 54 more three-pointers and attempted 180 more than Arkansas, with both teams playing 29 games.
Ranked visitors
Auburn, No. 14 in this week’s Associated Press poll, will be the fourth ranked team the Razorbacks have played at home this season.
The Razorbacks are 3-0 in Walton Arena against the ranked teams they’ve played previously, beating No. 14 Minnesota 95-79, No. 19 Tennessee 95-93 in overtime and No. 21 Texas A&M 94-75.
Plentiful points
Auburn and Arkansas are the SEC’s two highestscoring teams. The Tigers are averaging 84.3 points and the Razorbacks 82.2.
Don’t foul ’em
Auburn is shooting an SEC-best 78.1 percent on free throws.
Razorbacks senior Daryl Macon leads the SEC at 87.0 percent (120 of 138), but the Tigers have three in the top 10: Desean Murray at 85.0 percent (91 of 107), Jared Harper at 82.8 percent (144 of 174) and Mustapha Heron at 81.1 percent (107 of 132).